State By Plate: Jalisco, birria and history

The authorities of Jalisco has made incalculable contributions to Mexico’s civilization and food. It’s hard to ideate beingness successful the state without tequila oregon mariachis, for instance, truthful interwoven are they wrong the cloth of nationalist life. Iconic determination dishes similar birria and the torta ahogada — some calved successful Jalisco — aren’t rather truthful ubiquitous, but some person transcended the state’s borders to go treasured nationwide. 

How birria originated

Sopa de birria. (Unsplash)

Like tequila, which originated successful the eponymous town, birria, and tortas ahogadas are each associated with peculiar places. In the former’s case, it’s Cocula. In the 16th century, arsenic the communicative goes, the colonizing Spanish introduced livestock similar cows, pigs, and yes, goats, to Mexico. However, successful Cocula, goat numbers got a small retired of control, to the grade the animals were devastating section crops. 

The solution, a earthy one, was to cull the goat colonisation via the instauration of a delicious goat-based stew: birria. Over time, the stew would accommodate galore different meaty additions, from beef and pork to lamb, rabbit, and adjacent catfish. But successful the beginning, it was purely goat-based, and since goat nutrient tended to beryllium a spot gamey and virtually each portion and organ of it was used, galore herbs and spices were added to harmonize the flavors. 

For example, astatine slightest 1 chile was ever added — ancho, chilacate, guajillo, oregon pasilla — on with aromatic bay leaf, cumin, cloves, garlic, ginger, oregano, pineapple vinegar, and different ingredients.

The legendary instauration of the torta ahogada

The presumption from the archetypal El Güero successful Guadalajara, wherever the torta ahogada was born. (Guadalajara Antigua)

Despite birria’s enduring popularity, determination seems small question present that the torta ahogada has go the state’s signature dish. There are implicit 1,150 purveyors of the “drowned sandwich” successful and astir the superior city, Guadalajara unsocial (its birthplace), and 1,300 statewide. This, adjacent though it’s a alternatively caller summation to the region’s gastronomy. 

The torta ahogada was invented successful the 1920s by tapatío extraordinaire Luis de la Torre, amended known arsenic “El Güero” for his distinctive reddish hair. The archetypal determination was connected the country of Calles 16 de Septiembre and Miguel Blanco successful the Jardín de San Francisco (across from Cantina Alemana and Hotel Bohnstedt) and the sandwich arose, similar truthful galore iconic Mexican dishes, from a happy accident. A lawsuit ordered a much emblematic torta and erstwhile El Güero accidentally dropped the full happening successful a cookware of spicy salsa, a fable was born.

To this day, it’s virtually the lone torta known by that sanction regionally. In Jalisco, sandwiches are typically referred to arsenic lonches. 

The value of and inheritance down each ingredient

Birotes salados successful Jalisco. (Ron Mader/Wikimedia Commons)

There are 3 indispensable elements to a torta ahogada — the breadstuff (birote salado), the nutrient (pork carnitas), and the spicy salsa (based astir Yahaulica chiles) — and each is steeped successful the past of Jalisco cuisine.

The birote, similar the bolillo, was introduced to Mexico during the Second French Intervention play erstwhile Belgian baker Camille Pirotte accompanied Emperor Maximilian and his consort Carlota during the ill-fated and short-lived takeover. Pirotte originated the salty, crusty-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside birote successful Guadalajara circa 1864, an indispensable measurement for the eventual torta ahogada since nary different Mexican breadstuff — neither bolillo nor telera and surely not Bimbo — volition clasp unneurotic aft being dipped successful the spicy salsa. 

Carnitas, oregon pork cooked successful its fat, are synonymous with Michoacán, but different Mexican states, including Jalisco, Estado de México, Hidalgo, and Querétaro, assertion to person invented them first. Such claims are astir apt not true. However, it merits mentioning that Jalisco has a agelong past with the dish, arsenic evidenced successful innumerable tortas ahogadas and the iconic restaurants associated with the dish; notably Carnitas Jaime’s successful Arandas. In Guadalajara, the carnitas are chopped by skilled torteros connected cutting boards earlier being added to the birote for tortas ahogadas.

The Yahualica chile, the archetypal chile de árbol, is 1 of only 2 chiles successful Mexico to person been granted a denomination of origin (the different is the habanero). It tin lone beryllium legally grown successful its autochthonal highlands successful Los Altos, Jalisco, oregon 2 municipalities successful the neighboring authorities of Zacatecas. 

Jalisco’s determination nutrient remains a stalwart of section nutrient stalls. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

How to bid and devour a torta ahogada

Common consciousness would dictate attraction erstwhile eating immoderate crockery accompanied by the adjective “drowned.” But determination is besides a linguistic constituent of torta ahogada etiquette, specifically the quality betwixt the ordering presumption mitad and media arsenic an answering query to the tortero. The erstwhile refers to information size (as successful slicing the sandwich successful 2 parts), the second to spiciness level. Media means immoderate chile but not a implicit submersion, oregon drowning, successful spicy Yahualica chile, vinegar, and salt, followed by different dipping successful a herb sauce.

I would not urge the gross method of mashing up the torta ahogada wrong a integrative bag, past snipping disconnected a country and drinking it. But immoderate bask it. For a much accepted torta ahogada experience, sojourn El Güerito, the landmark Guadalajaran edifice founded by Luis de la Torre protégé Ignacio “Nacho” Saldaña, and bask the delicious sandwich arsenic it was meant to beryllium eaten: connected a sheet with country for the drowning salsas to excavation and for onions and lime connected the side. 

Don’t forget: tequila is besides a food

Tequila whitethorn legally beryllium distilled from bluish Weber agave (Agave tequilana) successful five Mexican states (Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas). However, approximately 90% of the fashionable tone is inactive made successful Jalisco, with the commercialized centered astir its birthplace municipality of Tequila, wherever the Cuervo household has been making the namesake merchandise since 1758, and the Sauza household since 1873.

It’s a large concern now, of course, with the tequila marketplace valued astatine implicit 18 cardinal dollars successful 2024, and expected to scope 45 cardinal by 2033. It’s worthy noting, though, that successful Jalisco tequila is not simply a liquid treasure to beryllium sipped successful accepted cabillitos but besides a prized nutrient ingredient. 

Everyone volition person heard of tequila shrimp, wherever tequila is added to the cookware earlier burning disconnected the tasty crustacean but leaving its trademark spirit behind. It’s besides utilized to play beef, worldly turkeys (via injection), and arsenic a potent constituent successful the gelatina candies known arsenic borrachitos, oregon “little drunks”.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.